<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>And so I Think About That and Then I Sorta Black Out by StardustBees</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26517244">And so I Think About That and Then I Sorta Black Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustBees/pseuds/StardustBees'>StardustBees</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But thats hard when you have six thousand years of conditioning otherwise, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Immortals trying to blend in, M/M, POV Outsider, Post-Canon, Romance, Slow Burn, Team as Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:54:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26517244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustBees/pseuds/StardustBees</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Andy confronts her own mortality by seeking out the only mortal she's talked to recently. Celeste starts to wonder if her new girlfriend might not be telling her a few things. Like why every time she goes on a work trip she comes back with new bruises. Or why her family is so paranoid about every little scratch she gets. Also, she's pretty sure she saw a gun in her bag on that one date.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andy | Andromache of Scythia &amp; Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Andy | Andromache of Scythia &amp; Nile Freeman, Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Celeste, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. We aren’t meant to be alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have not written fanfic in a long, long, long time so hopefully I'm only mostly rusty instead of completely rusty. This fic is an opportunity for me to revive my writing skills as well as to explore an outside pov on the immortal family. I love the film, I love the comic, I only hope I can do them some small amount of justice in my writing. </p><p>Set post film, Booker is exiled, Quynh’s return is canon but the timeline on when it occurs is extended further into the future. What Quynh’s role in this fic will be has yet to be determined.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Celeste hums to herself as she tidies the shelves. It's close to midnight and the chill of the oncoming winter penetrates even into the little store. The place is empty, not even the most dedicated clubbers and drunks go out on nights as cold as this. The only sounds are the buzz of the fluorescent lights and the crinkle of plastic packaging as she moves items on the shelf. Another three hours and then she can hurry home to her tiny apartment and finally collapse into her warm bed. Tucking a stray hair behind her ear she stands up and heads into the storeroom to get another box.</p><p>---</p><p>Andy stands outside in the shadow of a building, looking in at the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights. She’d slipped out of the temporary safehouse the team was using and made her way here on foot. She’d briefly considered telling them her plan but ultimately decided against it. In the six months since Merrick their protectiveness had reached an unbearable state; Nile throwing herself in front of Andy at the slightest hint of danger, Joe perpetually stocking the massive first aid kit he’d acquired and Nicky cooking only soups and soft foods as if she had no teeth left. She’d spent the last six thousand odd years not being babied by anyone and she wasn’t about to start now, thank you very much. Saying so had had no impact on the group's action besides causing Joe to surreptitiously push the first aid kit out of sight. So when she suggested they take a break from constant missions the three had readily agreed. They had all seemed somewhat surprised when she had suggested returning to northern France but thankfully none of them had pushed the point.</p><p>Shivering, Andy draws her trenchcoat tighter around herself. She had tried to tell herself this was no different than before, even the immortal feel the cold, but she knew something had shifted. The chill in her bones remained in a way it didn’t before. The small aches and pains of life no longer vanished without thought. That's what drove her to return to this place. Before she wouldn’t have dared, the risks were far too great. But now her world had shifted, perhaps it was time she shifted with it. Resolving an internal struggle, she steps forward into the light radiating from the storefront as she heads for the door.</p><p>---</p><p>Inside the store Celeste has her back to the entrance as she unwraps new inventory. The chime of the bell breaks the silence as the glass door slides open. She straightens up as she turns; only for her words of greeting to die on her lips.<br/>
The woman standing before her looks a little more worn than when she last saw her. Her face is haggard and a pattern of fading bruises are visible on her arm where it emerges from her coat. The intensity of her eyes hasn’t changed though. The feeling that this woman can look right through her and read her soul directly. Perhaps she already had. It would be terrifying if she had had anything other than a hint of a smile on her face. </p><p>“It’s you,” she says simply, surprise written clearly on her face.</p><p>“It’s me,” Andy responds, letting the soft smile widen slightly. </p><p>“I didn’t think I’d see you again.”</p><p>“I wasn’t sure I’d come back.”</p><p>“But you did,” the question implicit in the French woman’s tone of voice.</p><p>“It seems I did,” Andy says softly, walking closer until she’s standing just in front of Celeste. She takes her time, giving the other woman a chance to back off if she wished. Celeste stays where she is. “Your words stuck with me, ‘We aren’t meant to be alone,’” she quotes, “they bounced around in my head for a while. Made me think about how I treated some people close to me. How I’m still treating them.”</p><p>“We aren’t meant to be alone,” Celeste echos, “There’s something funny about that bringing you back here when I don’t even know your name.”</p><p>Andy thinks for a split second before deciding, mortality winning above centuries of habit. “Andromache,” she says, “But most people call me Andy”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. How Many Knives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Andy and Celeste seek advice from their friends and family as they seek to move closer in each other's orbits.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one is a bit longer and starts to pick up the actual story a bit. I have read the comics but will only be using them for inspiration, the "canon" is entirely based on the movie.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andy walks through the night, a smile on her lips and Celeste’s number carefully entered into the burner phone in her pocket. She jams a knife under the frame of the back window of the small apartment they had rented for the time in the region, popping it open with practiced ease. She wasn’t sure if Copley was aware of her cave and she wasn’t going to let the man know it existed if she could avoid it. It had taken a couple of months (and a number of threats on Copley’s life) but they had finally reached a working peace for the time being. That didn’t mean she had to trust him with everything, however. </p><p>Sliding the window shut behind her, Andy walks quietly through the dark living room and into the kitchen. She can make out the dark lump of Nile sleeping on the couch under a pile of blankets. Nicky and Joe are upstairs on an air mattress in the flat’s single bedroom. Her bed is a pile of blankets across from Nile’s couch. If they stay in the area for much longer she’s definitely making Copley get them an upgrade. She’s slept far worse places than on the floor but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate an actual bed once in a while. </p><p>Coming back into the living room with a glass of water she tosses her coat atop her bed to add another layer of warmth. Settling down onto it she turns to find Nile silently watching her. “You should be asleep, kid.”</p><p>“I could say the same to you, grandma,” Nile snorts. “Have a nice evening?” </p><p>“Maybe I was looking for a comfier bed to share then the floor.” In the early days a comment like that from Andy would have made Nile blush. Now though she just takes it in stride. </p><p>Nile snuggles back into the couch, lifting her blankets welcomingly. “Well, we can share then. Come on Andy, it’ll be softer up here on the couch. There's plenty of space.” Andy looks unconvinced. “Please Andy, it's cold here alone,” Nile says, doing her best puppy dog eyes at the older woman. This seems to have more of an impact.</p><p>Acquiescing, Andy sits on the edge of the couch and pulls her boots off before rolling her legs under the blankets. “Don’t think this means you can make me do whatever you want now,” she grumbles as she settles her body against Nile’s back. The other immortal just snickers. </p><p>“Ni ni Andy.”</p><p>“Sleep well kid.”</p><p>---</p><p>Celeste wakes as if coming up from deep water, the bright light of midday breaking peeking through the curtains and into her sleep-addled mind. A soft smile graces her lips as last night comes back to her. <em>Andromache</em>. There’s something deeply fitting about the name. Grabbing her phone from the side of the bed she types it into google and can’t help but laugh as she reads its meaning.</p><p>After a quick shower and an even quicker breakfast she finds herself staring at her phone, hesitant. How do you start a conversation with a woman who had had a knife wound in her shoulder the first time Celeste had met her? And seemed remarkably unbothered by it for that matter? After dithering for a while she selects a different number and jots off a quick message: <em>Aveline, help, how do I talk to girls? I met someone and I don’t know how to start.</em></p><p>Her friend responds a few minutes later: <em>Have you considered </em>not<em> being a useless lesbian?</em> Followed by a string of mildly suggestive emojis. Seconds later another text comes through: <em>Fine, meet me at the cafe, I’ll be your moral support.</em></p><p>---</p><p>Half an hour later she’s settling down with a coffee at a small cafe a block from her apartment, Aveline sitting across from her.</p><p>“Soooo, whats she like?” Aveline teases, taking a sip of her tea. </p><p>“Intimidating, really intimidating,” Celeste confesses. “And thats not just my anxiety talking, she’s got that dark mysterious stranger vibe going. But she seems sweet underneath. Just used to always having her guard up, perhaps.”</p><p>“And you’ll be the darling princess who melts her icy exterior? A lesbian tale for the ages.”</p><p>Celeste snorts loudy, looking down at her all black ensemble, “not sure I can play the part of the femme princess.”</p><p>“Princesses can be goth. But I digress, give me all the details. How did you two meet? What does she do? Dated any of her exes?”</p><p>“Her name is Andy, I didn’t get the impression that she’s from around here so no, I don’t think I’ve dated any of her exes. And anyway, that only happened to me once, stop bringing it up,” Celeste quips, making Aveline snicker. “She came into the store a while back, she was hu… she needed help. I did what I could for her, we talked for a while and then she left and I didn’t see her again until she came back last night. That’s really it”</p><p>“Wait, wait, wait. You know nothing about her other than her name?” </p><p>“I mean, a lot of people go on dates with people they don’t know much about,” Celeste counters, defensively.</p><p>“Yeah, but most of them don’t do it by showing up to talk to you in the middle of the night when you’re alone after ghosting you for months.” </p><p>“Look, I have a good feeling about her, okay? And besides, we have talked. Just not about stuff like that. Last night she told me a story about a time she visited America and rode horses across the open prairie.” </p><p>“I wasn’t aware that was something that was still possible,” Aveline interjects, “I thought the United States was all farms and cities these days.”</p><p>“Yeah, it does sound really old-timey now that you mention it. But anyway, I want to get to know her better and how am I going to do that if I don’t see her again. Ergo, the date you’re supposed to be helping me get.”</p><p>“Alright fine, I trust your judgment. What have you got so far?” Avaline sighs. </p><p>“Nothing.”</p><p>“Nothing?”</p><p>“I don’t know what to say; like you said I generally know more about the people I date before we go out for the first time.”</p><p>“Just ask her out to dinner or drinks or something. Someplace you can sit and talk since clearly you know nothing of actual interest about her besides that she <em>maybe</em> likes horses and <em>possibly</em> travels.”</p><p>“Hey, I-”</p><p>Aveline cuts her protest off, “okay Celeste, look, either you text her right now or I’m taking your phone and doing it for you. Your choice.”</p><p>“Okay, I’m doing it, I’m doing it,” Celeste groans as she picks up her phone and taps on Andy’s number. “Umm, <em>‘It was lovely to see you again, want to get dinner sometime?’</em>, how does that sound?”</p><p>“Terrible. But if we wait for you to come up with something better it’ll never happen, send the damn text.”</p><p>“Fine, sent, happy?” Celeste says, setting her phone down and picking her coffee back up. Almost immediately the phone dings and a text appears on the screen: <em>I’m free tonight if you don’t have work. -A</em></p><p>“Is it her?” Avline asks, a wicked grin on her face.</p><p>Celeste nods, typing back: <em>I’m off tonight, sometime after 19:00 work for you?</em></p><p>Andy responds a few seconds later: <em>Choose a place you like and I’ll be there. -A</em></p><p>Across the table from Celeste, Aveline sips her tea and smirks. </p><p>---</p><p>Nile looks up from her bowl of pasta as Andy sweeps past carrying a pile of knives. That in and of itself wasn’t all that strange. What was, however, was the look of uncertainty and slight dismay on the woman’s face. Nile wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Andy look uncertain about anything. </p><p>“What’s up Boss?” she asks as Andy paces back past her, more weapons added to her stack.</p><p>“Nile, you’ve been mortal recently,” Andy says.</p><p>“Erm, yes, I have I guess?”</p><p>“How many knives is it socially acceptable to carry these days?”</p><p>Nile puts down her fork. “How many <em>knives</em>? Is this like a murdery type question or…” she trails off, confused. </p><p>“Like a social event,” Andy clarifies, “If I, a mortal, wished to go spend time with my other squishy mortal friends in a public setting how many knives would I carry on me? How about guns?”</p><p>“Err, none?”</p><p>“None,” Andy says, aghast, “but what if something were to happen? What if they were attacked?”</p><p>“I guess some people carry pepper spray but even that's not universal. I mean, when was the last time you were randomly attacked in public?”</p><p>“Last month Nile, you were there.”</p><p>“That doesn’t count, they were human traffickers and we had just blown a very large hole in their boat. They were understandably pissed at us.” Andy can’t help but laugh at that as Nile continues, “let me amend that though, when was the last time you were attacked in public <em>by someone you had no previous connection to</em>?”</p><p>Andy considers the question carefully before responding, “July, 1792 I think. Shortly before the storming of the Tuileries Palace. Nicky, Joe and I were ambushed on the road by bandits. It was a chaotic time in this country.”</p><p>“Shockingly, Andy, the world has changed in the last two hundred years,” Nile deadpans, “It's unlikely you’ll be shanked on the streets of France without warning these days. That being said, you have lots of pockets in that jacket, I’m sure you can fit a few knives in if that would make you happy.”</p><p>“Thanks Nile.”</p><p>“Anytime Boss,” Nile grins, going back to her food. A few minutes later confusion knits her brow. “Wait, Andy, what mortal are you going to go see? Since when have you cared about being socially acceptable? What's going on?”</p><p>“Nothing for you to worry about,” Andy says with a grin as she heads for the door. “Be back later, don’t stay up.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I never really got behind the idea that Andy, Nicky and Joe wouldn't be great with technology which seems to be common in a lot of fanfic. Technology, especially things like phones are really useful and I think they would adopt them quickly. Plus we see Andy navigate a phone quickly at the start of the film. I do, however, like the idea of Andy signing her texts since she would have learned through writing letters and who would she text with but other members of her family?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Last Dregs of Sunset</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Apologies on the massive delay in this chapter, I ended up rewriting it about three times due to not liking how it had turned out. I think that was for the best though as I much prefer this to any of the previous drafts. </p><p>I also know nothing about the French health education system, nor do I read French. So all references to it are based on what I could learn via google translate. If you happen to know more and notice any mistakes please let me know so I can correct them!</p><p>Warning, this chapter ended up containing smut so I've updated the content rating to match. Should you not wish to read it you should stop reading at the line "The door clatters open as the two women stumble through it, arms and mouths fully occupied with each other." It continues from there to the end of the chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ch3. The Last Dregs of Sunset</p><p>The last few dregs of sunset were fading away as Andy approached the restaurant Celeste had texted her. It’s a cute little grill type establishment tucked between a group of row houses and a closed boutique. It’s the kind of place Andy never frequents. Nicky and Joe would probably appreciate it though. </p><p>Celeste is waiting outside, dressed in tight black pants and a leather jacket. It contrasts brilliantly with her silver jewelry. She gets up from the bench she is sitting on as she sees Andy, a shy smile on her face. “I’m glad you came.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Andy says, amazed at how true that is. Celeste’s smile becomes less shy and she opens her arms to Andy, who accepts the hug after a brief moment of hesitation. She can’t remember the last time she voluntarily hugged someone who was not part of her family. Celeste is warm and smells faintly of cinnamon and coffee. She breaths it in deeply, savoring the scent. </p><p>“Shall we?” Celeste asks, gesturing to the door.</p><p>“After you.”</p><p>A waitress seats the two at a table in the corner. Andy instinctively claims the seat with its back to the wall so that she can watch the room. It’s half empty, no obvious threats, multiple possible exits, minimal security cameras. If she’d been smarter she would have staked the place out beforehand but there hadn’t been time. Celeste doesn’t seem to notice her date’s surveillance as she looks down at her menu. By the time she looks up Andy has masked her paranoia and is attempting to read the wine menu upside down from across the table. </p><p>“So,” Celeste starts awkwardly, clearly uncertain where to start. </p><p>“So,” Andy echoes.</p><p>“How was your day?”</p><p>Andy’s eyebrow quirks slightly. Small talk, she can handle this. “It was… it was good. Very quiet. Spent most of it training a…” she hesitates, trying to come up with a good description for the members of her family. Finally she settles on, “... a friend. And a colleague.” Technically, what she had been doing was poking Nile full of holes with a spear but Celeste didn’t need to know that.</p><p>“Oh? What do you two do?”</p><p>“Security contracting,” Andy answers easily, this at least was a common cover story she knew by heart. </p><p>“Sounds exciting?” Celeste hazards, clearly clueless on what exactly that meant and unsure if it was safe to ask about. Andy can’t help but think about the circumstances of their first meeting and wince a little, she was not exactly presenting a great image here.</p><p>“Boring most of the time. Lots of travel to interesting places and then sitting in generic hotel rooms instead of going outside. What about you?” <em>Not a total lie,</em> she has to admit to herself.</p><p>“Well, you clearly know where I work considering it's the only place I’ve seen you before tonight.”</p><p>Andy laughs, “No, no, how was your day?”</p><p>“Oh! It was good, had coffee with a friend… ah, she was the one who talked me into getting my nerves together and actually texting you back.”</p><p>“I’ll have to thank her for that, won’t I?” Andy smirks, causing the other woman to blush. </p><p>The conversation pauses as the waitress comes to take their order and then returns with a bottle of wine.</p><p>“So… Tell me about yourself?” Celeste asks. </p><p><em>The opening line of all awkward first dates</em> Andy thinks inwardly with a groan. She’d known all day that this question would be coming and she still didn’t have a good answer. <em>I’m a secret, ageless, immortal from the dawn of time,</em> probably wouldn’t cut it. “What do you want to know?”</p><p>“Um, are you from around here?”</p><p>“Nope. Eastern Europe original,” Andy says. It’s not <em>exactly</em> a lie. Not that it had been called Europe at the time. Nor had her world big enough for it to be east of all that much. </p><p>“That must have been an interesting place to grow up?”</p><p>“It had its moments. I left a long time ago.”</p><p>“Ah…” Celeste trails off, waiting to see if Andy was going to elaborate. When it's clear she’s done talking Celeste is left to pick the threads of the conversation back up. “So… what brings you to France then?”</p><p>“Work.”</p><p>“And how’s that going.”</p><p>“It has its moments.”</p><p>Celeste looks slightly flummoxed, “Oh. Uh. That's good. I guess?”</p><p>“Sorry,” Andy pensively swirls her drink. “Is it obvious I haven’t done this in a while?”</p><p>“You haven’t been with anyone recently?”</p><p>“Oh I’ve been with plenty of people, just not in the way where one talks about their feelings first,” she chuckles. “Haven’t done that in a very long time.” </p><p>“Can I ask why?”</p><p>Andy drains her wine in a single gulp, “I lost someone.” She stares at the table, the air between the two suddenly awkward.</p><p>“I… I’m sorry to hear that,” Celeste murmurs. The conversation that follows is uncomfortable, unimportant filler. Andy hates it. What was she doing? She was trying to cope with dying and even now she can’t escape her greatest failure. <em>Oh Quynh, how did it ever come to this?</em></p><p>By the time the waitress returns with their meals, even the small talk has dried out and they eat in silence. Andy desperately tries to come up with an anecdote that doesn’t involve mass murder or dying in particularly interesting ways. She doesn’t have any. </p><p>As they finish Celeste finally speaks, “I’m sorry for bringing that up.”</p><p>“You could not have known. It happened a long time ago.”</p><p>“Still, it must have hurt to be reminded of it.”</p><p>“I’ve also learned to live with it. I have other people who need me and I can’t afford to let them down.”</p><p>Celeste smiles sadly, “That doesn’t mean you should deny yourself your own sadness.”</p><p>“Perhaps,” Andy says, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. </p><p>Celeste excuses herself to the bathroom and Andy settles the bill before pulling out her phone to text Nile. The younger immortal had finally converted her to the communication medium over the last few months. Even she could begrudgingly admit there were advantages to being able to talk silently across distance.</p><p>
  <em>Nile, help. How do I talk about myself without revealing the whole age thing.</em>
</p><p>There's a brief pause and then a response. Andy’s faith that Nile would have her phone right next to her at all times was well founded. </p><p>
  <em>Age thing? I guess that's a name for it, lol. What's the difficulty? You make up backstories for yourself all the time on missions, that's why you’re the best at infiltration.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But those are enemies, not people I care about.</em>
</p><p>The pause is longer this time</p><p>
  <em>Try steering the conversation to other topics? Other than that you probably need to loosen up, ask her questions, get to know her. You know that you always answer questions as if it's an interrogation, right? Good for actual interrogations, bad for dates. I know you have more experience with the former then the latter though, haha.</em>
</p><p>Andy is cut off from sending a rude response by Celeste returning from the bathroom. </p><p>The night is well upon them by the time they leave the restaurant, eddies of cold wind gusting down the street. Andy remembers times this would have sent the city’s residents scurrying indoors to block drafts and huddle together and wood fires. Now, with the ubiquity of electrical lights and heating, the streets still throng with people. It’s funny how the world changes, she thinks. All the little things you don’t think about build up until they spill over and the world is almost unrecognizable. </p><p>Celeste bumps gently against Andy, drawing her from her thoughts. “Walk with me?” she asks. Andy smiles and falls into step beside the other woman; some things never really change.</p><p>---</p><p>The night air is crisp as they wind through the dark streets. Celeste interlinkes her arm with Andy’s. The former immortal can’t quite believe the woman wants to continue the date considering how poorly it's been going so far. If she was in the other woman’s place she would have slipped away by now. Or stabbed her companion, that has also happened a few times.</p><p>“May I ask you something?” Andy asks hesitantly, unsure how best to proceed. “How… how are you pretending this is so normal?”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“The first time you met me I had a stab wound in my shoulder,” Andy says before trailing off. When Celeste doesn’t immediately respond she takes this as permission to continue, “Then I vanished for six months before re-appeared in the middle of the night. You didn’t ask me about it then and you haven’t asked me about it now. Why?”</p><p>“Your business is yours-”</p><p>“Bullshit,” Andy snorts, snickering slightly at Celeste’s shocked expression. “As soon as you agreed to see me again it became your place to pry. It’s one thing to help a stranger in need, it's another to invite them into your life.”</p><p>They keep walking for a few steps before Celeste responds. “I thought about you a lot after that night. I couldn’t help but worry.”</p><p>“You were?” Andy says, surprised. She’s not particularly used to thinking about the impressions she leaves on mortals. Their lives can feel so short by comparison, it's easy to forget that they don’t always forget her as quickly as she forgets them. Especially the ones who haven’t tried to murder her at one point or another. </p><p>Celeste frowns, “But of course, you were hurt, how could I not have worried? I checked the news for weeks, trying to see if there was anything about you. I wondered if something terrible had happened.”</p><p>“I-,” Andy starts before Celeste cuts her off.</p><p>“I’m not going to ask you to tell me what happened.”</p><p>“You’re not?”</p><p>“Your business is yours until you decide to share it.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“Can I ask one thing though? Are you in danger still?”</p><p>Andy laughs slightly at the absurdity of the question, when <em>hadn’t</em> she been in danger in her six thousand and some odd years. And yet, on some level, wasn’t now the most vulnerable she’d been since the time before her first death? “Perhaps. But not in any of the ways you’re thinking. Any danger I am in is of my own choosing”</p><p>“You’ll be safe though, yes?”</p><p>“I can’t promise anything.”</p><p>“I know. Just look out for yourself, please.”</p><p>“I’ll do my best.”</p><p>Celeste smiles and bumps gently against Andy’s side. “Thank you.”</p><p>---</p><p>Out of the corner of her eye Andy notices a figure loitering outside a closed cafe. They were clearly trying to keep a low profile and, to most normal people, it would work. But Andy could recognize that mop of curly hair anywhere. Fucking Joe, she could keep an eye on herself for a night, even as a mortal.</p><p>Celeste chatters on, something about a bakery Andy just had to visit. She’d turned the conversation to safer topics after the previous discussion. Celeste was currently telling her about the local food scene, not that there was much of one. All the while, Andy shoots Joe a look over Celeste’s shoulder, the other woman utterly oblivious. Joe just smiles serenely back, hands tucked into his pockets like stalking Andy on a date was the most natural thing in the world.</p><p>“So, what brought you here in the first place?” she asks casually, flashing a rude hand gesture at Joe when Celeste isn’t looking. </p><p>“Ah,” Celeste pauses to rub the back of her head, “After I finished my <em>baccalauréat</em> I was planning to continue on to medical school.”</p><p>Andy raises an eyebrow, impressed. “Explains your skills that night.”</p><p>“Well…” Celeste hesitates, “It didn’t end up working out. My mother was sick and needed help so I moved back here to take care of her and, well, once you pause something it can be hard to start it again. By the time I had my head above water again applications had closed for the year.” She shrugs, “and with every passing year it just seemed less and less feasible, you know?”</p><p>Andy can’t even begin to count the number of abandoned goals in her long life, she can certainly commiserate. “But you knew enough to patch me up?”</p><p>“I did start on a PSE but with maman I didn’t have the time, failed out of it.” Celeste grimaces, “Just like everything else.”</p><p>“Clearly you learned a thing or two,” Andy grins, wrapping an arm around Celeste’s shoulder. “And I am very grateful for it.”</p><p>Celeste blushes and leans her head against the taller woman’s shoulder, “So am I.”</p><p>“And how is your mother doing?”</p><p>“Passed away shortly afterwards,” Celeste says. A slightly strained expression passes across her face.</p><p>“I’m sorry to hear it,” Andy sympathises. Joe trails behind them, doing a very good job of looking like a tipsy revelar and <em>not</em> an annoying, immortal stalker. Andy wishes he’d fuck off, she didn’t need him keeping tabs on her private conversations. </p><p>“She and I had a... complicated relationship, shall we say?” Celeste trails off. Andy says nothing, letting the other woman take the time she needs. “She was never a fan of my ‘lifestyle choices’ as she called them.”</p><p>“The piercings and the all black look?”</p><p>“That. Plus the whole wanting to fuck girls thing.” Celeste glances up at Andy who just grins back at her. “She was rather traditional to put it mildly.”</p><p>Out of the corner of her eye Andy can see Joe throw up his hands in mock surrender. ‘Have a nice night,’ he mouths, winking at her, before turning to head back towards their shared apartment. <em>Asshole</em>, she thinks. She’ll get him for this. </p><p>“What about your family?” Celeste asks.</p><p>Andy walks silently for a minute before answering, “They haven’t been around for a long time.”</p><p>“I’m sorry to hear it.”</p><p>“I’ve had a while to come to terms with it,” Andy smiles softly, “It doesn’t hurt like it once did. And I have found people who are now just as much my family as they were, perhaps more so.”</p><p>“Families of choice, not of blood.”</p><p>“Exactly, they can be annoying sometimes” she chuckles, thinking of Joe, “But I’ll never stop loving them.”</p><p>“They sound lovely.”</p><p>“They are. I hope I’ll get to introduce them to you at some point.”</p><p>Celeste’s smile is brilliant in the darkness, “I would like that very much.”</p><p>---</p><p>Andy and Celeste wander along the riverbank, hand in hand. It’s growing late and the sparse crowds are thinning even farther. Andy has always loved the night and Celeste doesn’t seem to be flagging either. Must be used to late nights with her job, Andy reasons. </p><p>Pausing under a lamppost they watch the breeze ripple across the darkened water. Celeste shivers and draws her jacket closer around her before leaning into Andy. Quietly they share their warmth.</p><p>“May I…” Celeste trails off.</p><p>Andy quirks an eyebrow at her, waiting for the woman to continue.</p><p>“May I kiss you?”</p><p>In lieu of a response Andy leans forward, cups the back of the shorter woman’s head with her hand and kisses her softly. Celeste is warm and soft and tastes slightly of wine. Her breath hitches for a second before kissing back, just as needily. </p><p>---</p><p>The door clatters open as the two women stumble through it, arms and mouths fully occupied with each other. </p><p>Andy presses the younger woman back, hungry kisses smearing Celeste’s perfect lipstick across her mouth. Her hands slide across Celeste’s back, grasping at her clothes, her hips, anything they can reach. Under her lips Celeste moans slightly. She can’t help but grab back at Andy with equal enthusiasm. </p><p>Celeste has just enough presence of mind to shut and lock the door before their bodies crash back together. They half stumble across the small apartment to collapse into the bed, limbs tangled together.</p><p>Andy shrugs her heavy coat off and tosses it to the floor before helping Celeste undress. Her breath catching in her throat as Andy traces hot kisses down her neck and onto her breasts. </p><p>Celeste tosses her head back, hands grasping wildly at the bedsheets as she thrashes. Andy’s face is between her thighs and just <em>holy shit</em> this woman is incredible. Her whole body wants to be touched, stroked, <em>fucked</em>.</p><p>“How- how are you so good at this?” Celeste moans, as Andy traces her tongue up the inside of the other woman’s thigh and perfectly, a line of fire trailing behind it. </p><p>Andy’s smirk is just visible over the curve of Celeste’s stomach. She oozes a level of confidence that makes Celeste melt, “lots and lots of practice.”</p><p>“Should I be jealous?” Celeste quips.</p><p>“We can take a break and talk about our feelings if you want me to stop.”</p><p>“Don’t- don’t stop please.” </p><p>Andy acknowledges her request by sliding a finger into Celeste and bending it in <em>just</em> the right way to make her cry out in pleasure. The pressure building inside her is overwhelming and as Andy leans in to run her tongue around the woman’s piercing it reaches a peak and explodes. Her back arches hard, all the buildup finally releasing in a long moment of bliss. She gaps out Andy’s name as she gasps at the bedsheets.</p><p>“Good?” the other woman asks, grinning.</p><p>It's all Celeste can do to nod. It feels like she’s floating out of her body. </p><p>“Good.” </p><p>Reaching her hands down, Celeste pulls Andy up to lay next to her. They kiss, exploring each other’s mouths with their tongues. Celeste can’t help but wonder if she’s tasting herself on Andy’s lips. She finds the idea doesn’t really bother her. Her hands wander under Andy’s shirt, feeling the muscles beneath the woman’s skin. An idle part of Celeste’s mind can’t help but notice the woman is fucking built. </p><p>Celeste grips the bottom of Andy’s shirt and helps her pull it off. Andy looks almost otherworldly surrounded by a halo of light from the window and Celeste’s eyes rove over her eagerly. There's a thin raised line where Celeste had helped patch her up the first time they had met. A tangled knot of scar tissue mars the left side of her stomach. Other than that though Andy’s skin is remarkably unblemished. </p><p>“May I?” Celeste asks, running a finger across the hem of Andy’s pants. At the woman’s nod Celeste’s hand slips lower, tracing paths down Andy’s inner thighs. </p><p>One of Andy’s hands runs through Celeste’s hair. The other cups the back of her neck and guides her mouth down to Andy’s breast. Celeste takes Andy’s nipple in her mouth as her fingers tease between the other woman’s legs.</p><p>“You can be rougher, you know. I’m not made of glass,” Andy says as she presses her breast into Celeste’s mouth. Celeste teases Andy’s nipple between her teeth, pleased with the sharp gasps it causes. </p><p>They move together like this, Andy’s breaths getting shorter and shorter until she’s gasping for air. Her hips pushing down onto Celeste’s fingers. And then she’s tossing her head back with an almost animalistic yell of pleasure. </p><p>Both women flop back down as they catch their breaths, bodies slick with sweat. </p><p>“That was amazing,” Celeste mumbles as presses kisses along Andy’s collarbone. </p><p>“Absolutely perfect,” Andy agrees as she curls into the younger woman’s side and presses a final kiss to her cheek. Despite the rocky start the day had ended extremely well. The other three are going to give her so much shit for this, not that she particularly cares. Celeste’s breathing is already slowing as Andy draws a blanket over them, letting herself drift into a dreamless sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter was about a thousand words longer then the previous two put together which was both awesome and slightly intimidating to write. I originally was thinking of breaking it into two parts but couldn't find a natural break point that I liked. So here we are, I hope you enjoy!</p><p>And, as always, I love comments on what you like / dislike. They help me see the fic from a perspective other then my own. When editing my own work its really easy to read what I want to be on the page instead of what is actually there so all of your comments help me a lot.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title taken from <em>Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod?</em> by The Mountain Goats</p><p>Feedback and comments are greatly appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>